I've seen comments all over the place wondering why Choi Young won't go with Eun Soo through the portal. The logic goes (and it does make sense) - separation will turn them into the living dead, Eun Soo can't stay in the past or she will die, so why doesn't CY just tell her "Imja, I am going to the heaven world with you." Otherwise his options are to have her die in front of his eyes (her choice) or shove her through the portal and break both their hearts (his choice).

But it makes sense to me - CY is pathologically duty-bound and almost as pathologically unused to putting his happiness first and being selfish. And for him to follow Eun Soo to heavenly world, to live in bliss (precisely since it will be to live in bliss) is something I am not sure he will allow himself. Sure, Eun Soo comes first to him, before King and Country, but King and Country are very important nevertheless. I am sure he wouldn't think twice to go through the portal if it would mean saving her life (he ditched his post when it meant saving her life - remember, when Yuan threatened). But he doesn't have to go through the portal to save her life - she can go by herself and be equally saved. So I don't think it would even occur to the poor guy to think of going. If Eun Soo asked, I think it would be different, but I can see why she doesn't - she thinks he is happiest in his world.

I've seen comments all over the place wondering why Choi Young won't go with Eun Soo through the portal. The logic goes (and it does make sense) - separation will turn them into the living dead, Eun Soo can't stay in the past or she will die, so why doesn't CY just tell her "Imja, I am going to the heaven world with you." Otherwise his options are to have her die in front of his eyes (her choice) or shove her through the portal and break both their hearts (his choice).

But it makes sense to me - CY is pathologically duty-bound and almost as pathologically unused to putting his happiness first and being selfish. And for him to follow Eun Soo to heavenly world, to live in bliss (precisely since it will be to live in bliss) is something I am not sure he will allow himself. Sure, Eun Soo comes first to him, before King and Country, but King and Country are very important nevertheless. I am sure he wouldn't think twice to go through the portal if it would mean saving her life (he ditched his post when it meant saving her life - remember, when Yuan threatened). But he doesn't have to go through the portal to save her life - she can go by herself and be equally saved. So I don't think it would even occur to the poor guy to think of going. If Eun Soo asked, I think it would be different, but I can see why she doesn't - she thinks he is happiest in his world.

spunspider recommended me this year's Ishaqzaade by telling me that if I love dysfunction, I will love this movie.

She was right.

Ishaqzaade follows Parma and Zoya - members of rival, bloodthirsty political families in UP and all the bad things that happen when they get tangled up.

First off (and that can be either good or bad, depending on your tastes) - this movie doesn't feel Bollywood. It makes me think of South Indian cinema (is it a remake of a Tamil movie or similar?). It is gritty (even the rich live in houses with dust), hella violent, and dark. Actually, it is a lot darker than most any 'romantic' Bollywood movie I can think of. Both Zoya and Parma are violent, damaged people. In some ways, it's a throwback to the 1980s, but not a bad one. Despite the fact that Parma does some truly reprehensible things, I can't help it - while I wanted to strangle him in the first half, the second half of the movie made me ship Parma and Zoya like mad (what can I say, I am a sucker for the '(sort of) good woman redeems bad man' narrative and this one was both hot and adorable) and hope against hope that they could find some way out of the madhouse of their town. My heart is very much with Zoya, especially, who discovers all the horrors that can ensue when one impulsive action places her beyond the pale in her family.

The shipper in me would have loved this movie if for no other reason than the 'falling for each other properly' sequences set in the brothel...

spunspider recommended me this year's Ishaqzaade by telling me that if I love dysfunction, I will love this movie.

She was right.

Ishaqzaade follows Parma and Zoya - members of rival, bloodthirsty political families in UP and all the bad things that happen when they get tangled up.

First off (and that can be either good or bad, depending on your tastes) - this movie doesn't feel Bollywood. It makes me think of South Indian cinema (is it a remake of a Tamil movie or similar?). It is gritty (even the rich live in houses with dust), hella violent, and dark. Actually, it is a lot darker than most any 'romantic' Bollywood movie I can think of. Both Zoya and Parma are violent, damaged people. In some ways, it's a throwback to the 1980s, but not a bad one. Despite the fact that Parma does some truly reprehensible things, I can't help it - while I wanted to strangle him in the first half, the second half of the movie made me ship Parma and Zoya like mad (what can I say, I am a sucker for the '(sort of) good woman redeems bad man' narrative and this one was both hot and adorable) and hope against hope that they could find some way out of the madhouse of their town. My heart is very much with Zoya, especially, who discovers all the horrors that can ensue when one impulsive action places her beyond the pale in her family.

The shipper in me would have loved this movie if for no other reason than the 'falling for each other properly' sequences set in the brothel...

2. I've watched the first episode of The Paradise and hmmmm. As a British period drama, it's good, as an adaptation of Zola's novel, I feel all the sharp edges and dark corners have been smoothed and lightened out. MMV. It suffered, though, from my watching it in such proximity to the sublime Parade's End.

3. I never did get around to doing a proper post on the last week's eps of Nice Guy, did I? Oops.

I loved the episodes - paradoxically, even with amnesia and hematomas, they felt like the lightest, happiest, most hopeful episodes so far - mainly because the memory loss (EG) and the impermanence (Maru) has, oddly, freed them to be together with no baggage. And oh, how wonderful it is to see that enormous capacity Maru has for caring turn towards a worthy recipient. The episodes reenforce over and over again how little he even thinks of Jae Hee other than as a threat to EG - he doesn't even hate her any more, he just doesn't care. I love that.

4. I have a whole batch of caps for ep 17 of Five Fingers (yes, I am a few eps behind). I continue to enjoy the drama - I see complaints about it but I think it's excellent, mainly because the excellent cast elevates the material.

2. I've watched the first episode of The Paradise and hmmmm. As a British period drama, it's good, as an adaptation of Zola's novel, I feel all the sharp edges and dark corners have been smoothed and lightened out. MMV. It suffered, though, from my watching it in such proximity to the sublime Parade's End.

3. I never did get around to doing a proper post on the last week's eps of Nice Guy, did I? Oops.

I loved the episodes - paradoxically, even with amnesia and hematomas, they felt like the lightest, happiest, most hopeful episodes so far - mainly because the memory loss (EG) and the impermanence (Maru) has, oddly, freed them to be together with no baggage. And oh, how wonderful it is to see that enormous capacity Maru has for caring turn towards a worthy recipient. The episodes reenforce over and over again how little he even thinks of Jae Hee other than as a threat to EG - he doesn't even hate her any more, he just doesn't care. I love that.

4. I have a whole batch of caps for ep 17 of Five Fingers (yes, I am a few eps behind). I continue to enjoy the drama - I see complaints about it but I think it's excellent, mainly because the excellent cast elevates the material.